


Handle With Care

by allrounderinsane



Category: Cricket RPF
Genre: M/M, Marriage Breakup, Waters, beginning of a relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-26
Updated: 2014-02-26
Packaged: 2018-01-13 20:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1239904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allrounderinsane/pseuds/allrounderinsane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started with a kiss. At the WACA. When they were five wickets away from winning the Ashes. It's safe to say, when you put it that way, it sounds a lot more simple than it was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Note: The match mentioned in this story actually happened, although that where the link to reality ends. I would really appreciate feedback, even if you hate it. This story is dedicated to silly-mid-on, the founders of Waters, who know the WACA (the home of Waters in this story) far better than I do.

It was on a cricket field, on Friday, 6th December, 2002, when Chris Rogers and Shane Watson first met. It was during an ING Cup match at the W.A.C.A. Ground in Perth. Shane Watson, playing for Tasmania, got Chris Rogers out for 15 in that match, caught by Sean Clingeleffer. Despite this, Western Australia won the match by 42 runs.

 The Western Australian team celebrated in the dressing rooms long into the night. The Tasmanian team sat in their dressing room in silence, listening to the celebrations nearby. Ricky Ponting reached over and picked up a batting glove from the pile of cricket gear on top of his cricket coffin. The pressure of his arm caused gear to tumble off the bench seat and onto the floor.

 He did not respond to the cascade, his five-ball duck earlier in the evening one of the primary things on his mind. Shane Watson leaned back against the cool metal lockers behind him. He had taken three wickets in the match, resulting in his best List A figures of 3/42, but he was not thinking about that. Well, he was sort of thinking about that, but he wasn’t trying to.

 Shane’s primary thought about his bowling was his first victim: one number-four batsman, Chris Rogers. It was hot and stuffy in the dressing room, especially seeing as the fan in the corner of the room wasn’t working. He wanted to go outside to get some air. Nobody was talking, so he stood up and walked outside. Some of his teammates glanced towards him, but then they looked back down to the floor.

 Shane walked until he reached the concourse and sat down in one of the seats. He stared down the arena of the WACA aimlessly.

“Hello,” Shane heard a voice greet him.

He turned his head to reveal a man standing a few rows behind him – none other than Chris Rogers.

 They stared into each other’s eyes for a brief moment without realising what they were doing. It was almost as if they believed the other man to be a ghost and were both waiting for him to disappear. However, neither of them did.

“Congratulations,” Shane finally spat out.

 Chris simply nodded.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

They looked at each other in silence for a bit longer.

“That was a good ball, the one that got me out” Chris finally stated, “You bowled well”.

 He slowly walked down the stairs, his feet slapping the concrete, his footsteps echoing around the stadium. Chris finally sat down on the seat beside Shane, the sides of their thighs rubbing against one another. They stared out onto the playing arena of the darkened WACA.

“Wait, why are you out here?” Shane asked, turning to Chris with a confused look on his face.

 Chris turned to Shane, additionally confused, as he did not know why he was talking to an opponent he barely knew like this. He stared out to the darkened WACA and wondered about his response. The party was raging in the dressing rooms, although it was pretty hot and stuffy inside.

“I don’t know,” Chris murmured.

 Shane moaned in response to acknowledge that he had heard what the other man had said. He didn’t really care about the answer, but it did surprise him slightly that the batsman would break away from the party to sit outside.

“I’m sorry for getting you out,” Shane whispered sincerely, turning to Chris.

 Chris smiled and chuckled slightly in a matter that made Shane feel more comfortable than he ever had before.

“Don’t worry about it, Watto, you bowled well today, and I really mean that,” he replied in a serious tone.

 Shane smiled and rested his head on his shoulder, slightly confused over how the Western Australian knew his nickname.

“Thanks,” he murmured, suddenly feeling very confident.

Shane didn’t know why, but recognition from one Western Australian batsman Chris Rogers made him feel really good.


	2. Between the Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to brilliantrory for liking the prologue! I really appreciate it. This isn’t really the first chapter, it’s more of an explanation of what happened in between the prologue and upcoming first chapter. It also introduces Hannah Watson (nee Grainger) and Liam Watson, Watson’s wife and son in this story. They are both my OCs.

Shane Watson and Chris Rogers did see each other on other occasions between that night at the WACA and the time when they started opening the batting together for Australia. Their interactions were mainly on the field, however, during cricket matches. In 2004, Shane moved back to his home state of Queensland.

He began playing regular international cricket for Australia, but was plagued by injuries. In 2005, Shane played county cricket for Hampshire, resulting in him playing against Chris on a couple of occasions, as he played for Derbyshire, Wiltshire and Leicestershire during that year. Over the years, he met and fell in love with a journalist living in Sydney named Hannah Grainger.

In 2009, they were engaged, so Shane moved south and began playing for New South Wales. Three years after their marriage, he and Hannah welcomed a son, Liam Alexander Watson, in early 2013. Chris, on the other hand, continued playing for Western Australia, his desire to play for his country never waning.

In 2003, he first played county cricket and found that he enjoyed the opportunity to play cricket all year round. Two years later, Chris suffered from a shoulder injury, but this did not sideline him for long. In fact, during that season, he scored a double century against the touring Australian side who lost the Ashes.

In 2006, Chris moved to Northamptonshire. The next year, he was awarded a Cricket Australia contract, as well as the State Player of the Year Award on Allan Border Medal night. For Chris, things were finally looking like he may have a chance to play for Australia. He received his baggy green at the WACA in January 2008 and played his first Test in which he only scored 19 runs for the match.

In the second innings, he made 15, but this time it was Irfan Pathan who dismissed him, not Shane Watson. When Matthew Hayden returned from injury, Chris was dropped and lost his Cricket Australia contract not long afterwards. Later that year, fed up over a lack of a regular position in the state’s one-day team, he left Western Australia and headed to Victoria.

In 2011, Chris switched counties and began playing for Middlesex, becoming captain of the four-day side not long after. It was in 2013 when he set off to play another season for Middlesex. However, during this season, he got the call that he had been selected in Australia’s Ashes squad. Chris was finally getting another opportunity to play Test cricket.

He would be opening the batting with Shane Watson. They shared several good partnerships, although Shane was eventually demoted down the order to number six for the fourth Test. It was in this match that they shared another large partnership and Chris scored his maiden century. Australia lost the Ashes 3-0, but comfortably won the first two Tests in the return series.

This lead Chris Rogers and Shane Watson back to the WACA, where it all started eleven years prior.


	3. Chapter 3

At the end of the fourth day’s play of the Third Ashes Test, Chris Rogers found himself sitting all alone in one of the seats in the concourse of the WACA. He inhaled, then exhaled long and hard. The sun was setting and the beauty of the coloured sky overcame him. Chris appreciated the silence, away from the team who were only five wickets away from regaining the Ashes.

He was thinking about the ecstasy of Shane Watson’s century earlier that day. Chris had attempted to push his way out onto the balcony, but, overcome with emotion, he had found himself pinned to the dressing room. Chris wanted to tell Shane how proud of him he was, but he didn’t know how to say it without sounding overly caring.

He was startled by loud footsteps on the concrete behind him. Chris turned around to discover the object of his thoughts, Shane Watson, standing a few rows behind him.

“Hi,” Shane greeted with a wave.

Chris smiled in response as the light-haired man walked down the stairs and sat down in the seat beside him.

“I’m proud of you,” he stated simply, the words flooding out of his mouth like water down the drain once the plug is removed.

Chris was surprised by his comment. He was also surprised at how easy it was to admit his feelings to the other man. Shane smiled.

“Thanks,” he murmured, then stared out over the ground.

They stared together for several moments in silence. Chris twisted his body so that his torso faced Shane.

“I mean it, Watto,” he said in a serious tone.

Shane looked over at the other man, squinting.

“What?” Chris queried with a slight chuckle.

Shane cleared his throat.

“I don’t think you’ve ever called me Watto before,” he told Chris, “It’s always been Shane”.

Chris looked back out over the ground and thought about what Shane had said.

“You’re probably right,” he added dismissively.

There was silence once more. Chris thought about why he had refrained from using Shane’s nickname and why he had used it moments prior. He did not know what the answer was. He assumed that it was simply the result of over-thinking his words and ultimately applying no thought to the phrase that escaped his lips.

Chris was good at this.

“I like batting with you,” Shane revealed, leaning in closer.

Chris nodded, trying not to stare at the centurion’s lips.

“Thank you,” he murmured and found himself also leaning in closer.

Suddenly, Chris’ thoughts were drawn to a moment eleven years prior.

“Remember when we met here, on that night when you got me out,” he murmured.

Shane nodded slowly. Chris could hear Shane’s breathing. Shane could hear Chris’ heart thumping in his chest. Chris could not help himself. All logic, thought, self-control and restraint was released from his body. Chris pressed his lips against Shane’s. It felt good, so he continued the kiss. He raised a hand to the other man’s blonde hair and outstretched his fingers.

Chris eventually released his grip and they broke away from the passionate kiss. Shane’s eyes were scarred with confusion. Chris felt like he was floating. Then, he realised the ramifications of his actions and felt himself fall back to earth with a thud.

“We’ve got the Ashes to win tomorrow,” Shane stated grimly.

He stood up and walked back to the dressing room, his heavy footsteps echoing in Chris’ ears.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note before the beginning of this chapter, the “You’ve never called me Watto before” scene in the last chapter was weird and I know it. I guess I was inspired by an episode of one of my favourite TV shows with a similar scene, in which it was really sweet, so sorry about how it just didn’t work in this story and how I didn’t realise until later. Thank you to misfielding and brilliantrory for your likes, I really appreciate your support.

Australia only took one wicket in the opening session on the fifth day. It would be a massive understatement to claim that the mood was tense in the Australian dressing room at lunch. Michael Clarke, the captain, had eaten quickly, then snuck off to be alone. Chris Rogers was about to sneak off as well when he was stopped by David Warner.

“Bucky, we need to talk,” he said seriously.

Chris simply nodded and allowed David to drag him off into a cubicle in the dressing room. He became nervous when David locked the door behind them.

“I don’t know how else to say this, mate,” he murmured quietly, “But I saw you and Shane last night”.

Chris cleared his throat and looked down to his feet.

“Don’t be ashamed, mate,” David muttered seriously, “I’m happy for you guys”.

Chris glanced back up at his opening partner, suddenly overcome with relief.

“Thanks,” he whispered, unsure of what else to say.

David cleared his throat and leaned in.

“Just be careful, mate,” he advised, “Don’t let it get messy if it’s something that you want”.

Chris thought that David sounded like he was speaking from experience, but he did not ask for details.

“Thanks,” he replied.

Chris felt more sincere about his word than his tone of voice implied. David nodded his head, appearing to be satisfied with his advice, unlocked the door and then left Chris all alone.

Australia took the remaining four wickets relatively quickly after lunch, the ninth wicket falling due to a spectacular catch by Chris. They celebrated long and hard in the dressing room afterwards. David’s action of moving seats so that Shane and Chris could sit next to each other did not go unnoticed by his opening partner.

Shane was swept up in the emotion of winning back the Ashes. He happily sat down next to Chris at the other man’s request, forgetting his previous insecurity around him. Later that night, as the next day approached, the team members began dispersing. Some went back to the hotel, others headed onto the casino.

Chris, however, headed out to the concourse. Shane followed him. Even in his tipsy state, he knew that they needed to talk about what had happened the previous night.

“Hi,” Shane greeted nervously, sitting down next to Chris.

Chris beamed. It didn’t take long for Shane to realise that Chris was far too tipsy for a logical conversation. However, he had to get his feelings out before he had to return home to Sydney and Chris had to return home to Melbourne.

“Hello,” the opening batsman murmured in a flirtatious tone.

Shane expected to feel uncomfortable, but he did not. Chris moved closer towards him, shuffling across the seat. Shane’s heart rate quickened. It felt so good to have the other man so close to him. Maybe it felt too good, but he didn’t see it this way. Shane took one last glance at Chris’ dazed smile and decided that his planned conversation was definitely not worth having.

Although he personally did not feel particularly drunk, he was aware that Chris may not remember these events in the morning. Shane was overcome with this thought. He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Chris’ lips. Chris felt good and so did Shane. However, they quickly broke away from the kiss.

“We can’t do this,” Chris whispered sadly.

Shane was surprised. He had assumed that Chris was too drunk to still have functioning inhibitions. He wished Chris was too drunk to still have functioning inhibitions.

“Just tonight, we can,” Shane corrected.

Chris winced. He wanted to give into his desires, but he knew it was not the right thing to do.

“You’re married,” Chris stated, titling his head to the side.

Shane nodded in recognition of the other man’s statement.

“Just tonight, that doesn’t matter,” he decided, speaking forcefully.

Chris shook his head, becoming frustrated. He glanced out to the WACA.

“Come on, Bucky, this is our place, I know you want to,” Shane was tempting him.

Chris took a long, deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Kiss me,” he murmured, “Just this once, just tonight”.

Chris didn’t want it to be just this once, just tonight. He wanted it to be forever, especially seeing as Shane seemed to be willing. Chris felt the other man’s lips against his. The kiss was passionate and made him feel really good. He sincerely hoped that Shane wasn’t as drunk as he was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to misfielding and thingswesend for your likes and to misfielding for your reblog.

The following afternoon, Shane Watson arrived back to his Sydney home with his wife Hannah and their infant son Liam. He unlocked the front door and stepped inside the familiar building, dragging his large suitcase behind him. Hannah, holding Liam, then entered. Shane turned to her and stared at her for a little while.

“What’s wrong?” Hannah queried innocently.

Shane’s deep blue eyes darted between his wife and child. Glancing down to the floor, he sighed.

“Something must be wrong,” Hannah stated in a slightly panicked tone, “Please tell me, Shane”.

He rubbed his hand along his jawline.

“I kissed Chris,” he confessed, now unwilling to look his wife in the eye.

Hannah’s mind was immediately abuzz. Liam moaned and shuffled in her arms.

“Wait, who’s Chris?” she queried.

It was not the question that Shane had been expecting.

“Chris . . . Rogers,” he murmured solemnly, staring down to the tiled floor.

Shane glanced up to watch his wife’s light blue eyes widen. There was an uneasy silence that was occasionally broken by Liam’s soft grizzling. Hannah rocked the infant in her arms.

“I’m sorry,” Shane finally stated.

Hannah gazed down to the floor, then looked back up to her husband.

“Like, romantically?” she asked, assuring that she was not panicking for nothing.

Shane nodded slowly. He stepped closer to his wife and son. Hannah considered backing away, but her feet were frozen in their position on the cold tiled floor.

“I love you,” Shane whispered sincerely, tracing his fingers through Liam’s blonde hair.

He knew that his words were the truth. Hannah felt tears welling up in her eyes.

“Do, do you love him too?” she questioned nervously, her voice quivering.

Shane didn’t know the answer to her question. As teammates in an Ashes winning team, they certainly had a connection. His mind flashed back to the night before when it was him who had chosen to kiss Chris again, after the other man had been initially hesitant. There was certainly something there between them, but he was unsure if love was the right word for it.

“I, I don’t know,” Shane stammered.

Hannah cleared her throat and glanced away. She was still processing the news and didn’t quite know how to respond.

“When?” Hannah questioned in a murmur.

Shane gulped.

“On Monday night, then again last night,” he replied honestly.

Hannah nodded her head in recognition of her husband’s answer. She rubbed Liam lightly on the back. Hannah felt that she wanted more information, but she didn’t know what questions to ask. She stepped towards Shane and handed Liam over to him.

“I think I might go and have a lie-down,” Hannah stated and swiftly walked away.

Shane watched his wife as she strutted towards the stairwell. Liam murmured softly and waved his arms around. Shane glanced down to his infant son. He smiled slightly at the boy’s grin.

“I love you, mate,” Shane whispered, jiggling the baby slightly.

He found himself standing in his house, holding his son, wondering how he had got himself into the mess. The ecstasies of his century, winning the Ashes and those two joyful kisses with Chris felt like they occurred a long time ago.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating this story. I have been busily writing (and posting) a New Year’s Eve themed story that I wanted to be written and posted while it was relevant. Thank you to no-coordination and buttonnotbieber for your likes and also thank you to shinhwafarts for your lovely comments on LiveJournal. A ‘sippy cup’, in case you don’t know, is – as defined by the babycenter.com website ‘A sippy cup is a training cup – usually plastic – with a screw- or snap-on lid and a spout that lets your child drink without spilling. You can get models with or without handles and choose from a variety of spouts’.

A week passed, during which Shane and Hannah Watson walked on eggshells around one another. On the morning of Christmas Eve, they boarded the plane to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test. Liam was tightly squeezed between Shane’s lap and the seatbelt of the aeroplane seat. The infant groaned as the plane raced along the runway.

“I told you to get the sippy cup out of the bag as soon as we got onboard,” Hannah muttered in an accusingly tone.

Shane nodded calmly as Hannah started groping at her handbag, which was wedged under the seat in front of hers. Shane pulled the sippy cup from the pocket on the back of the seat in front of his and placed it on Liam’s lap. Hannah hummed in realisation and turned her head to stare out of the window. The sun flooded in and bathed her face as the plane ascended into the pale blue sky. Shane placed the sippy cup into Liam’s hands and allowed the infant to suckle on the pineapple juice it contained, to avoid discomfort if his ears popped.

He did not want his son to cry, as he was terrified that it would tip Hannah over the edge. Shane felt horribly selfish that he wanted his baby to be quiet simply to keep the peace.

“Hannah,” he whispered in an innocent tone.

Shane knew they had to fix this. Hannah turned her head around swiftly, her honey blonde hair whipping the back of her seat.

“What?” she spat, clearly not wanting to be disturbed.

Shane sighed, concerned that his wife would not be co-operative.

“We need to have a serious adult conversation about this,” he declared, “Before it blows up in front of everyone else”.

Shane desperately didn’t want to utter the last phrase, but he knew that the threat of a public blow-up could potentially sway Hannah into having a rational conversation with him. What he didn’t say was that he really didn’t want Chris to know about his marital problems. Hannah sighed in a manner that indicated that she was aware that she’d regret her diplomacy later.

“So let me get this straight,” Hannah uttered, her voice absent of the anger it had previously possessed, “You kissed him once on Monday night”.

Shane grunted, knowing that this necessary conversation would be difficult.

“Yes, and then again on Tuesday night,” he confessed.

Hannah glanced away as she processed the information, then looked back to her husband.

“Did you go any further?” she queried, then decided to be a bit more specific, “Did you sleep with him?”

Shane shook his head immediately. Hannah nodded hers in recognition of the answer. Shane felt like he was being interrogated.

“Do you want to?” Hannah emphasised every single word.

Shane gazed out into the aisle, thinking about his wife’s question. He knew that the easy answer was to say no, to deny his desires, even if just to keep the peace. However, Shane was also aware that his one-word answer to this question to potentially affect everything in his life.

“I don’t know,” he felt cowardly, he knew it was the easy option, but it had to be done.

Hannah nodded and stared back out the window. Shane shuffled in his seat and stroked on the soft skin of Liam’s arm. He knew that, once they arrived in Melbourne, he had another important conversation to have – with Chris.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, as always, to Sunny for your lovely comments and brilliant encouragement.

Hannah Watson was lying on the bed in their hotel room, absent-mindedly watching Liam playing with his toys on the floor. Shane was giving her a foot massage, desperate to do anything to please his wife. Hannah sat up suddenly.

“I might take Liam for a walk to, you know, see the sights,” she suggested, moving her feet away from Shane’s warm hands by swinging her legs around so that her bare toes touched the floor.

Shane nodded firmly as his wife slid her feet into her shoes in the corner of their room. As she walked over and scooped Liam up off the floor, a part of him wanted to ask her if he could come too. However, another part of him noticed his opportunity.

“Bye,” Shane murmured, his voice laced with guilt, as Hannah headed out the door with their son, “Have fun”.

He sat there on the bed for a moment, frozen in thought, before he finally leaped up off the bed. When Shane noticed that there was only one keycard left on the bench in the tiny kitchenette, he assumed that Hannah must have taken one with her, which he was grateful for. Shane placed the other keycard into the pocket of his tracksuit pants.

He took a big deep breath, then walked over towards the door and entered the hallway. Shane remembered Chris’ room number from the email that their captain had sent around before they had left for Melbourne. He hadn’t intentionally recalled it, but it now did come in handy. As Shane walked along the hallway, he heard his footsteps echo through his ears until he finally reached the other man’s room, which was only a few doors down than his own.

Shane stood in front of the door of Chris’ room and it was only then that he realised that he actually had no clue as to what he was going to say. It really all depended on the other man’s feelings. He felt his heart rate quicken as he stepped closer and knocked firmly on the door. As Shane stood there waiting, he could feel his heartbeat pulsating throughout his body.

The lingering question was pounding on his mind – how did Chris feel about him? His thoughts wandered off in this direction for a split-second until they were captivated by the action of the door opening in front of him. Chris was standing there on the other side wearing a pair of similar tracksuit pants and a knitted maroon jumper with a white reindeer pattern on the front.

Even in an outfit that Shane would describe as slightly dorky, he couldn’t help but still find Chris to be handsome.

“Hello,” the opening batsman greeted him calmly.

“Hi,” Shane murmured in response, “May I please come in?”

Chris stepped to the side and pointed his opened palm out in the direction of the rest of the room. Shane bowed his head and walked through the doorway. Once he was inside the room, Chris closed the door behind them and they both strolled over to sit down on the bed.

“We need to talk about what happened in Perth,” Shane stated bluntly.

Chris’ grunt as he folded his arms indicated that he agreed. Shane slowly lay down and stared up at the fan in the middle of the ceiling.

“I told Hannah,” he muttered, as if he was in a trance, hypnotised by the unmoved ceiling fan.

Chris gasped softly, just loudly enough for Shane to be able to hear.

“I need to know how you feel about me,” Shane said as he turned his head to gaze into Chris’ blue eyes.

The older man sighed and glanced away, unwilling to participate in the eye contact Shane was attempting to initiate. Suddenly, the words that David Warner had uttered during the lunch break on the final day in Perth came flooding back to him.

_Don’t let it get messy if it’s something that you want_

Chris was starting to think that this already was messy.

“I want to be with you,” he murmured, feeling that he owed Shane the truth.

Chris smiled slightly out of pride due to his honesty. As soon as the smile disappeared, he turned his attention back to Shane, who was once again staring with tired eyes up to the ceiling. The all-rounder was lost in thought over Chris’ confession. Now that he knew that the other man wanted them to be together, he began forming a plan in his mind, although he knew it was one that was fraught with danger.

Shane propped himself up on his elbow and examined Chris. He was simply sitting there on the bed, waiting for Shane to respond. He did not look afraid or bewildered. He was sporting a gentle smile that displayed both innocence and confidence. In that moment, Shane was slightly jealous that Chris did not have a wife and son to consider.

The jealousy was short-lived, however, when he realised that this made himself off-limits to Chris. Shane did not want to be off-limits to Chris.

“I, I want that too,” he stammered in a tone of voice that did not possess the confidence he was searching for.

Chris found himself beaming. It wasn’t intentional, as he was fully aware that this wasn’t fixed yet. They still weren’t about to be riding off into the sunset in a horse and carriage with a ‘Just married’ sign on the back, which Chris really didn’t mind, because he didn’t particularly feel like being sprayed with shaving cream by an over-excited groomsman.

“What are you thinking about, Chris?” Shane queried.

Chris blushed slightly out of not particularly wanting to tell the other man. He cleared his throat in an uncomfortable manner.

“Getting married,” Chris muttered quietly, hoping that Shane would not hear his admission.

Shane was unsure as to how to reply. He leaned his head in a little bit closer.

“Were, were you thinking about us?” Shane queried apprehensively.

Chris sighed, regretting entering this conversation.

“I never meant to fall in love with you, but now I’ve stumbled off the cliff, I’m sinking to the bottom of the ocean,” he murmured with a sad chuckle at his poetic phrase.

Shane exhaled loudly, overwhelmed by what Chris had just said. He suddenly realised that their potential relationship was such a big deal for the other man. Shane touched his fingertips to the back of Chris’ hand.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

Chris grasped Shane’s hand and squeezed on it slightly, then stared away towards the window with a sigh.


End file.
